Someone introduced me to a tailor four years ago. She was good with creating lovely designs from the material you give her. I gave her a lace material to make me skirt and blouse. She took my measurements. We concluded on the price. When I asked for her number, she started laughing. She said she lost her phone. But she promised to give me her number later. I agreed.
One week later, I went to her shop again and she said she still doesn’t have a phone but that I can contact her through her husband. Something went off in my head. I asked her why I have to talk to her husband when she’s the one I have a business transaction with. She started laughing.
I left. I called the number on the day I was supposed to collect my cloth to make sure it was ready. Husband arrogantly answered the call and started questioning me. “Why are you calling my wife? Who are you? What do you have to do with my wife? How do you know my wife? Are you a married woman? What is your name?”
I was so angry that I marched straight to her shop and demanded to see her husband. I wanted to know why he would be so idle to question everyone who called his wife. She started begging me. She said I shouldn’t cause problems for her. That was when she confessed that her husband was using her phone. He told her that she doesn’t need the phone to do her business.
For the three times I gave this tailor clothes to make for me, I had to put up with her husband. He was always with her phone questioning whoever calls her. It was later I heard she was his second wife because the first wife couldn’t put up with his controlling attitude. He stays in her shop monitoring whoever comes in and goes out.
I don’t know how women end up with men like these. I am still trying to understand why I won’t have something as common as a phone and some privacy.
I don’t understand why my husband should be with my phone when I am the one doing business and sweating to make money. It doesn’t make sense to me.
I stopped patronizing this woman because of this. She was good and made good designs from fabrics but I couldn’t stomach her husband’s intrusive nature.
My second experience was with another tailor in my area. anytime I drove past her shop, I was impressed with the kind of designs she displayed. I told myself that whenever I have an important event to attend, she would make a beautiful dress for me.
When my younger sister’s wedding date was set, I took the aso ebi material to this woman and chose a beautiful gown from her catalogue. She said it would cost me 15, 000 and I said okay. She made the dress to perfection. I was the center of attraction at the wedding reception after the bride of course.
The day I collected the dress, she gave me another number different from the one she gave me the first time I came to her shop.
She said I should send my pictures with the dress to this new number. I agreed. I kept to my promise by taking many pictures on the wedding day. I sent her some of the pictures the next day and it registered that she saw them.
But she didn’t say anything. I thought it was strange because she requested for the pictures in the first place. After three days of waiting for her to say something, I sent her another message asking her why she didn’t say anything after seeing the pictures of the dress she made. I was already angry.
I got the shock of my life when I saw “This is her husband. This is my number. My wife must have given it to you because of her work.” I went quiet. On my way to work the next day, I stopped at her shop and asked her why she gave me her husband’s number to send my pictures to. I asked her what if I sent inappropriate pictures?
She started laughing. She told me that her husband banned her from being on Whats App and that she gives her customers his number to send pictures of their clothes to. I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out.
I asked why her husband would ban her from being on Whats App while he’s on Whats App and she said she has to be submissive to him because he opened the shop for her. Let’s just say that is the last time she saw me.
My third experience with a Lagos tailor was with a tailor on my street. I give her materials to make me casual wears and short gowns I wear to work on Fridays. The first time I gave her some materials to make for me, she made them so well that I decided to continue with her.
But later on, I discovered that she was always questioning my styles. She would tell me that as a married woman, I shouldn’t be wearing one shoulder dress or short gowns.
One time, I chose a style for a short gown and she refused to make it. She said it was too short for a married woman. I asked her if she didn’t want to make money anymore, she started preaching to me.
She said a married woman should respect herself and her husband by covering her body. I left her shop and didn’t go back there.
When she sees me these days, she keeps asking if I no longer sew clothes, I tell her that I give my materials to serious tailors who know how to satisfy their customers.
If you have had any funny experience with any tailor, I want to hear it in the comment section.
